Zucchini Olive Oil Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze

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Here is an Italian cake that I ran across in my internet travels.  I was completely intrigued by using olive oil in a cake.  Olive oil is not usually used in for baking in American cakes and I was hesitant even though it is a staple in my kitchen and use it daily.  It is commonly used in Italian cakes and given the abundance of zucchini this summer and my quest to use it in as many new ways as I can come up with, I could not resist sharing this recipe with all who still have zucchini in their kitchen.  I know,  I know - enough of zucchini, but this cake was just too good to pass up!

Summer Squash Casserole

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Summer yellow squash is perfect for this dish.  In fact, I can't think of another way to eat yellow squash that is anywhere near as good.  Yellow squash is not usually a first choice vegetable for me unless it is in this casserole.  Zucchini is a whole other story and blog post!  This recipe is one of the understated, humble classics of southern dishes.

Zucchini Pancakes

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Zucchini seems to be taking over our gardens,  CSA baskets, farmer's markets and consequently our kitchens.  Here is little info on zucchini and a simple and quick recipe that will help with all that zucchini!

For thousands of years zucchini has been eaten in Central and South American countries but has only been a widely consumed vegetable in North America for about 30 years.  The variety that is grown here is a green Italian squash.  There are many types of zucchini grown these days but the most common is still the summer green zucchini.  It can grown up to a meter long but is best picked around 8 inches (20 cm) while the seeds are still soft and small.  In honor of this prolific vegetable, here is a recipe for zucchini pancakes that does this mild vegetable justice.

A Farm Stand Sandwich for a Festival

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That's right.  A sandwich made from farm stand produce for an evening picnic at a local music festival.  Minimal refrigeration needed and local brews are available at the festival.  Sounds like a good plan to me.

I love going to music Festivals.  Most take place in the summer expecially up here on the east coast.  Who wants to go to a music festival in the snow?  Well, I am sure there are a few amazing fans that would show up, but it probably wouldn't be me.  This year to start the summer off, we went to Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Delaware and saw Chick Corea, then midsummer we went to the Xponential Music Festival and saw Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and this weekend we went to the Riverfront Blues Festival and enjoyed some really awesome blues including the Bernard Allison Band starting off their set with a stellar version of Voodoo Child.

 Here are a few shots from the festival.  The weather was perfect and it was a nice evening for an outdoor event.